Residents of Melbourne, Australia, took the Owen Wilson meme to the next level in late February by meeting up at Federation Square to simultaneously imitate the actor’s infamous way of saying, “Wow.”
The unconventional declaration was event organizer Nicolas Zoumboulis’ attempt to spread a little “positivity energy” in a way he believes Owen Wilson would approve. And, evidently, hundreds of others familiar with the gag were eager to get in on the stunt. The crowd began to gather around 6 p.m., kicking off the event with a series of warm-up "wows" to ensure the climactic proclamation could be heard all the way in Hawaii by the star himself. https://twitter.com/OfficialJoelF/status/968283508455165956 Wilson first won us over with the often dopey, but loveable characters he played in hit comedies, including Zoolander, Meet The Parents, and Wedding Crashers. The more starring roles he portrayed, however, the more fans began to pick up on some of the phrases he enjoyed recycling in his films. The most popular, of course, being his signature pronunciation of the word, “Wow.” Then, the internet, in its seemingly infinite ability to find the humor in the most peculiar places, turned the actor’s gentle intonation into a viral meme. Seriously, where do they get the inspiration to come up with this stuff? The jokes gained momentum in 2015 with simple compilation videos highlighting Wilson’s distinct way of saying "wow," some of which garnered over 5.7 million views: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlLMlJ2tDkg
Eventually, the trend began to snowball with parody videos dubbing over various sounds with Wilson’s voice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq9drEYDmOU
Now, with this latest stunt in Australia, it appears Wilson’s fans have decided to abandon the internet memes in favor of a more unorthodox approach to celebrating the actor’s vernacular. While the event didn’t quite attract the 5,300 attendees who RSVP’d on Facebook, it has inspired similar events to pop up across the globe. The next gathering of folks who want to say wow like Owen Wilson will take place in the London on March 11.
A couple groups have even popped up in various states across the U.S., including Georgia, Louisiana, and Illinois. If you’re afraid of missing out on the latest meme movement, try getting a crowd together in your own local community!
Would you ever attend an event like this? Let us know in the comments!